I think the bigger get from that article is Scripps is getting WPIX New York. That's a big deal.

It would be interesting if Scripps could use its leverage as the largest ABC affiliate owner and change 17 into an ABC affiliate with full market coverage.

Never happen for several reasons. First off, as ZZM knows all too well, being an ABC affiliate in GR when you have to share with WOTV in the same market really stinks for $$. I see what you're getting at in having negotiating rights with a certain affiliate, but it would take a lot to steal that affiliate from zzm and otv, and more importantly, Fox is THE affiliate to own. No reason to give that up, Fox is clearly the national leader in sports and as we all know, live sports is the #1 thing in this industry that continues to draw live eyeballs.

I somewhat knew this would happen, they can be able to finally form an I-96 cluster along with some sort of Michigan state news service, as it'll be joining their WXYZ/WMYD duopoly in Detroit and WSYM in Lansing.

My furthest DTV tropo: KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 202 miles for three days in January 2017 and a night in September 2017 with only an Antennas Direct C2V!

Last month TEGNA & ABC agreed on a new deal so Scripps couldn't get ABC plus they would have to share with WOTV in this market not going to happen. Being sole Fox is better anyway as I thought that Scripps was my number 1 to buy WXMI Fox17 from the start I wonder if they wanted Fox17 the first time it was for sale in the failed Tribune & Sinclair merger.

I wonder if Scripps will put Fox17 News at 10 on WSYM once the merger is final or if they will just keep the agreement they have with local NBC in Lansing? Looks like Fox17 will air Scripps Syndie shows beginning in the fall. Nexstar did everything right unlike Sinclair which wanted to keep everything and shell why they can't buy anymore local TV stations because they're still in trouble with the FCC. Only TV stations Nexstar has to sell is in Indy Wish TV/WNDY or WNIN/WTTV combo which is going to be hard because the DOJ doesn't want anyone to own 2 top four TV stations in the same market but Nexstar has done everything right as I said before selling the TV stations in the overlap markets.

Was kinda surprised that Fox didn't want to buy any of the TV stations which I thought they would have bought the same TV stations that they were going to buy from Sinclair a year ago which I read from Bloomberg a few days ago. Scripps is the big winner not because they got WPIX in New York they got the better TV stations than what TEGNA got just my opinion.

E.W. Scripps to acquire WXMI, the Fox affiliate in Grand Rapids as part of Nexstar divestiture.

That's a shame.

Scripps does a terrible job with some of its stations. They've run WXYZ Detroit into the ground over the past decade. RTV-6 in Indianpolis has been in third or fourth place forever. Ditto WMAR in Baltimore.'

I think the bigger get from that article is Scripps is getting WPIX New York. That's a big deal.

It would be interesting if Scripps could use its leverage as the largest ABC affiliate owner and change 17 into an ABC affiliate with full market coverage.

Never happen for several reasons. First off, as ZZM knows all too well, being an ABC affiliate in GR when you have to share with WOTV in the same market really stinks for $$. I see what you're getting at in having negotiating rights with a certain affiliate, but it would take a lot to steal that affiliate from zzm and otv, and more importantly, Fox is THE affiliate to own. No reason to give that up, Fox is clearly the national leader in sports and as we all know, live sports is the #1 thing in this industry that continues to draw live eyeballs.

Last month TEGNA & ABC agreed on a new deal so Scripps couldn't get ABC plus they would have to share with WOTV in this market not going to happen. Being sole Fox is better anyway as I thought that Scripps was my number 1 to buy WXMI Fox17 from the start I wonder if they wanted Fox17 the first time it was for sale in the failed Tribune & Sinclair merger.

I don't know where your info is from but, its almost completely off the mark.

Fox is not "THE" affiliate to own.

The Fox broadcasting network is 4th in total viewers and 4th in the demo (18-49).
NBC and CBS have been in the battle for first place.

In the year-to-year (September 2017 to September 2018) ABC was second in the demo. Fox was 4th in primetime viewers, 4th in the demo for the year.
ABC is #1 in daytime with 18-49 Females. The demo you absolutely want in daytime.

And sports... Fox Sports on the broadcast network can't hold viewers. The NFL had been losing viewers for the past few years.
While Thursday Night Football did help Fox's primetime last fall and last season's NFL ratings were also up a few percentage points, those are gains on previous loses. Ad rates still have not rebounded.
Even the Super Bowl had the lowest ratings in years. NBC's Sunday Night Football is the hot NFL property to own. Its consistantly at or near the top rated NFL games of the week.

Fox's other sports rights... MLB only does well regionally and Fox has been migrating most of its national broadcast games to Fox Sports 1.
Fox broadcasts 3 or 4 NASCAR races a year and its biggest race, Daytona, had its worst rating since 1979.
MLS ratings are insignificant and barely draw half a million viewers. Fortune magazine called Fox's World Cup ratings last year a "complete nightmare."
Golf's US Open sine 2012 has lost almost half of its viewers for the final round since.
And the ratings on the Big Ten's championship football game were down 30% this past year.
Whad'I miss UFC fighting???
The "national sports leader"??? Not even close. ESPN is the most lucrative network in television, estimated value of $51 billion. But, Fox's broadcast sports properties are either waning or showing no growth.

Fox gives you 2 hours of weekday programing ABC, NBC, CBS give you eight or more. And believe me Scripps has not shown much of a desire lately to buy expensive syndication to fill out the hours. They'd rather try to make their own.

Fox is also not that loyal with its affiliates. They would rather disaffiliate if they can't force a sale or trade in some markets and they keep some stations, even their former O&Os, on one year affiliation deals.
I've worked for affiliates and O&Os of NBC, ABC, CBS and two Fox affiliates and a Scripps owned station.

"Never happen," just isn't realistic anymore.
Affiliate changes happen every year in the U.S. In markets big and small. And in situations more complex than just 13 and 41 spliting the market with an affiliation. Networks and station owners put in all kinds of clauses in affiliations deals. A "multi-year" deal with Tegna could mean 2 years or ten.

And when I say "full market coverage" I mean full market, no affiliation split with 41.
If Scripps and ABC think there's a deal to save or make money respectively then a larger deal that would include stations like WXMI could be made. Its happened before in larger markets.

You guys have seen very little change in this TV market compared to alot of markets. New owners always bring change and with all the stations in the market now having mega owners they'll eventually be subject to change as a part of somebody's larger deal.

The whole idea was just an interesting theory, but I give it a 50/50 chance in the next 3-5 years.

Switching to ABC would be a bad idea for WXMI. Their expanded morning newscast has become quite popular and brings in more local ad revenue than avails during Today or GMA.

WXMI would lose its 10PM newscast and all the ad revenue that goes along with it.

WZZM has been in third place in 11PM newscast ratings forever. Part of the reason is because CBS and NBC have generated stronger ratings in prime time in West Michigan on a perennial basis than ABC (even when adding channel 13 and channel 41 together).

I'd much rather have FOX's NFL and Big Ten football & basketball coverage than ABC's NBA coverage. ABC is often a black hole when it comes to weekend sports. I see filler garbage on WXYZ here in Detroit fairly often when two or more of the other major network affiliates are airing primo stuff.

If the Tigers ever get good again, having weekend baseball & playoff baseball coverage will start to matter again. Advantage: FOX.

You guys have seen very little change in this TV market compared to alot of markets. New owners always bring change and with all the stations in the market now having mega owners they'll eventually be subject to change as a part of somebody's larger deal.

The only situation where I can see potential change is WZZM (Tegna) insisting on having exclusive ABC affiliation once WOTV's agreement expires.

Might Tegna try to pry NBC away from WOOD-TV some day? Sure, but my guess is they'd be unsuccessful in that pursuit.

I think an affiliation change in Lansing is more likely. WLAJ is a very weak ABC affiliate. It would behoove ABC to move that affiliation to Scripps-owned WSYM-TV.

I was always surprised WSYM never got ABC back in the '80s when they signed on from reading their history on wiki a few times. Lansing was one of few areas that didn't have ABC they got it from Flint & WOTV 41 through cable and maybe OTA.

Jackson County really is the only region where there was a substantial OTA coverage gap. With an outdoor antenna in Jackson, I suspect one or more ABC affiliates could still be received (albeit with some snow).

Lansing is only 43 miles from the WJRT TX site, which is 12 miles closer than Muskegon is located to most of the Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo market sites.

Didn't one of the Lansing area stations - I want to say WILX - have a secondary ABC affiliation for a time?

Jackson County really is the only region where there was a substantial OTA coverage gap. With an outdoor antenna in Jackson, I suspect one or more ABC affiliates could still be received (albeit with some snow).

Lansing is only 43 miles from the WJRT TX site, which is 12 miles closer than Muskegon is located to most of the Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo market sites.

Didn't one of the Lansing area stations - I want to say WILX - have a secondary ABC affiliation for a time?

I believe I read before that WXYZ was the de-facto ABC affiliate in Jackson County.

And I don't think WILX had a secondary ABC affiliation, you are probably thinking of when it channel-shared with what is now WKAR.

My furthest DTV tropo: KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 202 miles for three days in January 2017 and a night in September 2017 with only an Antennas Direct C2V!

just read that DOJ has approved spinoffs for Scripps TV Stations from Tribune from DOJ. Which means TEGNA spinoffs will be approved sometime soon from Nexstar & Tribune merger. Got it from B&C website.